Where is your victory, Death?

We have been talking about fear honestly and realistically. Our heroes of faith had their fears and we will have ours, but God comes alongside us to console us, letting the truth of Scripture speak to and even erase our fears. 

But there is a flip side of the coin. The Bible teaches that some fears should not be part of our lives. These fears can become fully in our past. A common theme is not to fear people, especially those who are against the gospel. Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Those who follow Jesus do not need to fear being persecuted. This is based on sound logic; no human can harm your eternal soul and the Holy Spirit will be there to help you.

Christians can also banish the fear of death. I am currently house-bound in the world-wide 2020 coronavirus epidemic. Nothing like this has ever happened in my lifetime. For some of us, it seems like an unreal nightmare. 

Confronting death before old age may be shocking for us. Historically it was a reality for most families; according to historical studies, on average nearly half of children died before reaching adulthood (OurWorldinData.org). But much has changed in the last 200 years. By 2017, 85.2% of children survived to adulthood in the country with the highest youth mortality, and globally on average 95.4% of youth survived (OurWorldinData.org). Death seems closer during this pandemic than it has for a long time.

Here is the glory of our faith and our salvation: Jesus conquered death! If we trust Jesus, we have no fear of death. That bedrock is the great fortress we have against all other fear. Without the fear of death, all other fear is temporary and can be dealt with. 

Today:

I have some fear around possible physical pain at the end of my life, but I genuinely don’t fear death itself. I will enter heaven to meet my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Can you say the same? If so, cast fear aside and rejoice with me! If not, call a Christian friend or online hotline to find out how you can!